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What is to become of us? Douglas Coupland might, or might not, know

Book Review: Player One: What is to Become of Us?

By Sharon Yoshida

‘ N Phen people needed a way to categorize the
young and marginally employed in the

early nineties, Vancouver writer and artist
Douglas Coupland was there to define Generation X.
Now, if we’re looking for a renaissance man to lead
the way into future, Coupland might just be it. At the
very least, he can most certainly coin the terms that
we'll use to describe it.

Amidst an eclectic mix of college hipsters,
cultured elders, and literary Vancouverites, Coupland
read the first part of his latest innovation—the five-
hour novel—to an eager crowd at the Chan Centre
for the Performing Arts on October 12 as part of this
year’s CBC Massey Lecture series.

While other headliners in the 49-year history of
the Massey series have delivered traditional lectures,
Coupland breaks the norm with his work of fiction,
which can be divided into five hour-long sections,
with each hour being read at a separate lecture
across Canada.

The novel, Player One: What Is to Become
of Us (Anansi, $19.95), follows the overlapping
narratives of four people and one bodiless voice—
Player One— as they deal with a sudden global
crisis while stranded in a Toronto airport cocktail

lounge.

Bound together by the unusual freedom brought
by a catastrophe, Rick, Karen, Luke, and Rachel
explore ideas of humanity, faith, and identity. Rick is
the lounge’s ex-alcoholic bartender and is looking to
buy a fresh start. Karen, a single mom and divorcee,
is hoping for an Internet fling. Luke is a newly-
faithless Christian pastor on the lamb. Rachel is
beautiful but socially abnormal, and is looking to
prove her worth.

Player One delves into ideas about the future
that are frightening, but presents them with
Coupland’s signature wry humour to distil the
seriousness of the issues. How far would we go?
What does it mean to be you? Can we continue to
live the way we live, or will society someday be,
suddenly, flipped? The reader is forced to ask tough
questions along with the characters about what
makes us who we are.

Ultimately though, Player One doesn’t try to
answer these questions for us, but rather urges us to
start asking them of ourselves.

Coupland will continue his lecturing journey
cross-Canada through Regina, Charlottetown,

PlayerOne

 

Ottawa, and Toronto throughout October. The Player
One lectures will be aired on CBC Radio One from
November 8th through 12.

 

 

By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

Thursday, October 21*

For your mid-October culture fix,
head over to Capilano University and
catch the opening night of “Samuel
Beckett: An Evening of Short Plays”.
Running from the evening of the 21*
to the 23", this is a great chance to
experience Beckett and support a
great student effort all in one night.
Tickets are available at the door at
five bucks a pop for students ($10 for
non.)

Friday, October 22"

For a ghoulishly good time (bare
with me here people) hit up The Rio
Theatre at the stroke of twelve for the
fourth night in their October double
bill series. What do they have in
store for you? Bust out your striped
pajamas and learn the secret word of
the day ahead of time in preparation
for “Beetlejuice” and “Pee-wee’s Big

costume.)

 

 

Adventure.” Tickets are $10 ($8 in

Entertainment lineup for Oct 21 — Oct 24

Super Taranta!

Sunday, October 24"

Saturday, October 23"
Midterms got you singing the

blues? Find your way down to The celebration.

Commodore Ballroom for Gogol
Bordello’s second of three back-
to-back-to-back performances.
Tickets were sold-out for the Friday
as of this writing but some should
still be kicking around for one of
the weekend dates. Never heard of
Gogol Bordello? Checkout the track
“American Wedding” from 2007’s

One week to go before the big night!
Why not build the anticipation with
a “spooky” evening spent on Stanley
Park’s ghost train? Running nightly
from 6 P.M. — 10 P.M.., it makes for
a great family friendly and festive
activity. If that doesn’t quite satisfy
, your appetite for a scare, cause

hh your one of those “brave” types,

. head down to the PNE to tour a few
haunted houses between rides as
part of their annual Fright Nights